After seeing Mark Vasko’s CAST 2011 lightning talk, I was inspired to create a Test Idea Wall with one of my project teams. Much to my surprise, the damn thing actually works.

When I’m taking a break from testing something, I pause as I walk past the Test Idea Wall. My brain jumps around between the pictures and discovers gaps in my test coverage.

Our wall is incredibly simple, but so far it contains the main test idea triggers we forget. For example, the picture of the pad lock reminds us to consider locking scenarios, something that is often just an afterthought, but always gets us fruitful information:

Who am I?

My typical day: get up, maybe hit the gym, drop my kids off at daycare, listen to a podcast or public radio, do not drink coffee (I kicked it), test software or help others test it, break for lunch and a Euro-board game, try to improve the way we test, walk the dog and kids, enjoy a meal with Melissa, an IPA, and a movie/TV show, look forward to a weekend of hanging out with my daughter Josie, son Haakon, and perhaps a woodworking or woodturning project.